


Taste Of Red

by Moon_Peach



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, Other, Shatt, Shiro was a pirate, Shiro/Matt - Freeform, Slow Burn Keith/Lance (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Vampire Allura, Vampire Coran, Vampire Shiro, Voltron, klance, lance hunk pidge and Matt are humans, lotor and his generals are vampires too, shallura - Freeform, vampire keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-06-28 14:39:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15709266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Peach/pseuds/Moon_Peach
Summary: Keith Kogane is a fledgling vampire with no recollection of how he was bit, until Shiro, Allura, and Coran took him in. Fast forward 90 years, and he’s finally about to turn into a full vampire. His coven’s moved to a small town on the East Coast so he can transition peacefully, but his new neighbor Pidge has other ideas.Lance McClain is just a normal high school senior. He’s got a nice close knit friend group, parties to go to, and girls (and guys) to ogle. Everything is exactly the way it should be, until the new kid rolls into town and shakes it all up.Taste Of Red is all about how difficult it is to grow into an adult, both as a vampire and a human. Relationships are forged and tested, families torn apart and put back together again, all while figuring out who you are in a world much larger than yourself. Please enjoy this fic!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Thank you so much for clicking on this fic! This fic means the absolute world to me, and I hope you all enjoy it. It’s my brainchild that I’ve been working on for over a year now. I’m really excited to share it with you. Please feel free to message me and talk about it!
> 
> Tumblr- moonpeachhh.tumblr.com  
> Instagram- amporaaf 
> 
> Don’t forget to leave lovely comments or kudos, too!

  
_Winter 1927 Chicago, Illinois_

“Shh! Shut it or they’ll hear us!” A man’s voice shushed as two people made their way out of a building and broke the quiet of the night.

“Me shut it? You’re the loud one!” The woman giggled in return.

The air in Chicago was overly cold, hitting record lows in both snowfall and temperature. It was dark, nearing the morning hours as large snowflakes drifted down lazily from the sky. Fresh snow had accumulated on the streets and buildings all white and fluffy, creating a silent winter wonderland in even the poorest factory quarters of the city. It wouldn't last long however; the morning rush and heat would melt and dirty the white snow into dirty slush before the sun would be completely be over the horizon.

“Come on now, Mr. Shirogane, or I shall leave you here at the speakeasy!” The woman giggled again, holding her coat to her chest with shiver. The good natured smile on her face told otherwise however, and they both knew she wouldn’t be leaving him behind anywhere.

The man paused on the doorstep where he was buttoning his coat to grin back at her. He swayed slightly from the many bootlegged drinks now running through both of their bloodstreams. “Surely you would do no such thing. It’s awfully late for a beauty like yourself to walk home all by your lonesome, Miss Allura. Bad creatures wander about this hour.” He finished buttoning up his coat, grinning all the while, and held out a hand to her.

She took it, her laughter bubbling up and out into the silence of the street. “Creatures, you say? Well, I suppose I’ll just have to take your offer to walk me home then.” She nodded resolutely before taking his hand and letting their playful joke fall away. Shiro pulled her close by the waist when she shivered once more. The snow picked up pace, falling steadily around them.

“You’re looking pale. We might need to feed soon,” he observed her seriously, “We could easily grab a bite on the way home.”

Allura waved her hand. “No need. Zoe invited us out tomorrow. She always brings feeders.” She put her hands into her pockets and nestled closer to him as they walked through the maze of streets and alleys of downtown Chicago. The city was their playground and took part in all it had to offer. The vampire community was large and thriving in the underground activities of the city’s nightlife, and they’d made quite a name for themselves in both the human and vampire scenes. They walked towards their apartment on the higher class side of town, soft conversation between them. The alcohol warmed them more than the cold could touch them, so they took all the time in the world. All of a sudden she stopped, going unnaturally still. Shiro, who hadn’t noticed, stumbled forward a bit, unhooking his arm from her waist abruptly.

“Allura...?” He blinked in confusion.

“Quiet,” she hushed, “There’s a child.” She walked forward quickly, turning into a side alleyway. There was a small yelp as a small child tried to duck behind a crate before they could spot him. He wasn’t quick enough. Shiro followed Allura, unsure of what in the world she was doing. She knelt down, giving him his space. “It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you. Come out from back there, please.” She spoke softly.

  
“Leave me alone! I haven’t done nothing!” The boy behind the crate shouted, trying his hardest to look tough despite his trembling.

“Oh, you poor little bunny,” she cooed, “I believe you. Are you lost? Can we help you find your parents?”

The boy shook his head. “I don’t got a home, Miss. I’ll get out in the morning, so please don’t call no one.” He gripped a pocket knife in one hand, holding it out in front of him so he could fight if they tried to take him by force. She didn’t blink. He was extremely pale and still shaking, mostly from the cold, and very obviously homeless. He was dirty, hair uncut and tangled, with tear trails cutting though the dirt on his face.

“Okay. We won’t call anyone, Alright? But it’s cold out here. You should let the authorities help you.” Shiro knelt down as well, peering from Allura to the boy. “How old are you?”

“S-six.” The boy chattered as a coughing fit overtook his small body. Shiro immediately took off his coat and offered it to the boy. “You dont need to give me your coat, mister. It’s yours.” He protested immediately, although his eyes lit up slightly at the prospect of not being cold anymore.

Shiro held it out. “Nonsense. Take it. You’re sick and need to warm up. Could you come out to the light of the street lamp for me? I’ll button it up for you.” He assured the boy. His stubbornness couldn’t hold out against his need for warmth for long, and he reluctantly stood and shuffled out from behind the crate and into the light. Allura stifled a gasp when the light revealed the extent of his illness. He was paler than either of them originally thought, with dried blood trails from both eyes and nose. It crusted in the edges of the boy’s eyes, some wiped or washed away from tears.

“He’s in transition.” Allura realized in horror. It explained why it took her so long to sense him, why she wasn’t fighting back urges. Shiro had come to the same conclusion, gripping the coat too tightly. “He’s a child. That’s illegal these days.” He murmured under his breath, unable to believe it. She felt a pang of sympathy for him; knowing him as long as she had, she knew how pain hurt him as well. Shiro had always had a sense of justice about him. He felt things strongly.

With a deep breath, he pulled himself together. He buttoned up the coat for the child and gently explained how to do so the whole time. _Ever the teacher_ , Allura mused. “Do you have a name, kiddo?” He asked him when he finished buttoning the large coat on him.

“Keith.” He shrugged, burying himself in the too large, warm coat. His complexion looked better already.

“Alright, Keith. My name’s Takashi Shirogane. But my friends call me Shiro. Feel free to do so too.” He smiled comfortingly to him, careful not to move fast enough to trigger a flinch out of him. Keith seemed to genuinely take to the elder’s comfort. “This is my friend Allura. We’d like to help you out. Sound alright to you?” Allura nodded to Keith, already knowing what Shiro wanted to do. They were a part of a small coven, only them and an elder named Coran, so they had the room. What were they supposed to do? Leave the child out to die?

He hesitated, of course, and both the adults sensed that. “You can always leave. Just let us take you home for the night, alright? You don’t have to stay unless you want. It’ll always be up to you.” Allura added gently, holding out her hand to him.

The boy peered at them for a moment, before letting go of all the energy he didn’t have. He was so tired of fighting... “Alright.”

 

_Fall 2017 Pageland, South Carolina_

It had been quite a few years since then, Keith though absently, staring out the window in the backseat of Shiro’s 2017 Ford Escape. Everything in Keith’s life has been so hazy up until that day. Shiro and Allura has brought him into their warm, safe home and he’d slept for a solid week. They explained that it was the transition making him so deathly sick, partnered up with anything he could have contracted on the streets. Even Coran had made him feel safe and loved, something he didn’t have much of up until that point. So he stayed.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He pulled a single headphone out of his ear, raising his eyebrows in question. It was Allura, who was sitting beside him. She had an amused smile on her face. “Shiro asked you a question.” She repeated.

“I asked if you were hungry. You’re going to need your strength to help move boxes into the house too.” Shiro spoke up, twisting around in the passenger seat to ask again and chuckle. He must have seen the way he scowled and slumped down, because soon Shiro added, “Yes, you have to help out too. You’re older now.”

“Do I have to?” Keith tried, hoping to get some sympathy out of him.

“Certainly, my boy! Manual labor builds character, my own father used to say! I’ve found that even throughout the centuries it remains tried and true!” Coran chimed in as well, from where he was behind the wheel. Keith groaned.

“We moved because it’s almost time for you, Keith. Soon you’ll be an adult. You’ll be drinking your own blood in no time, so you won’t be weak so frequently. It’ll help you to curb some of the restlessness.” Shiro insisted, “Turn left in a mile, Coran.”

“Right you have it!” Coran affirmed, “No tough guy act, Keith. You’ll need help in these next few weeks. A First Meal is a challenging time in every young vampire’s life, especially a fledgling like yourself. We’re here to help if and when you need it.”

Keith groaned again, hands over his face as he slumped further in his seat. They were always so ready and open to talk about his... vampire puberty or whatever it was. It was embarrassing. He hated when they got all parental on him. Not like he’d been doing the whole fledgling thing for just over ninety years now. Sure, he was about to be changing into a full vampire, but that didn’t mean they had to coddle him. He had only been six when he was bit, so he transitioned into a fledgling, basically a baby vampire. Fledglings were children turned before they finished growing, and were unable to feed on their own until they reached maturity. They fed from other vampires and continued to grow up slowly over the course of around a century. They grew until the age of 18, which was Keith’s current bodily age. It was inevitable that he was getting closer now. It was just a matter of time once his fangs had began to pop, so they’d packed up and moved to a small town on the East Coast where they’d be able to help him through his first taste and follow up cravings without fear of being caught. He thought that moving all the way from their established life in Quebec was a bit much, but it was time to move on before people started asking questions. You could only stay in one place without aging for so long.

“Keith, Earth to Keith!” Allura poked his cheek with her pink, freshly manicured index finger. When he looked back at her confusedly, the car erupted into laughter.

“What? Oh, sorry.”

“Youth these days and their technology.” Coran remarked cheerfully, causing Keith to crack a grin and kick the back of his seat. Coran didn’t seem to mind.

“You need to feed, feel up to it?” Shiro tried again, this time managing to catch Keith’s attention in the hectic car. It happened when you spent so long with the same people. You became family. The inside jokes multiplied constantly. Keith froze a bit at the idea, as the familiar urge came back to the forefront of his mind. He nodded slowly, licking his lips as Allura lifted her wrist up to her mouth and bit. Keith’s fangs had yet to pop entirely, so he was unable to puncture yet. The coven didn’t bat an eye as he took her arm and sealed his lips around the fresh wound. His eyes fluttered shut and Shiro hummed, turning the radio up.

☆✼★ ☆✼★ ☆✼★

“This is your last chance to get out of public school while we’re here, you know. You don’t have to do it.” Shiro spoke up as he kicked an empty box out of the way. He opened up another box.

Keith frowned from where he was putting glassware in a cabinet. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Shiro seemed to pause, shuffling around through the new box as he searched for words he couldn’t find. With every moment of silence, Keith’s frown grew deeper. Shiro never had problems articulating what he meant. He sat back on his palms and took a deep breath, “I’m just saying you don’t have to go to school anymore if you don’t want. You’re practically an adult on our terms, even if you’re still young in body. You’re more intelligent than all of those teachers combined and we all know it.”

Keith stilled. “You don’t think I’ll be able to handle it as I get closer to my First Meal.” He stared at him darkly.

“Keith, that’s not what I meant. You’ve been on vampire blood for a very long time. You only get a fraction of the cravings we get. It’s only natural that you’d have a hard time.” He tried to reason with him, careful of his word choice as he unwrapped the dishes.

“I can do it, Shiro.” He gently put the cup he was holding away so he didn’t grip it too tightly. “I’m going. I’m not going to let everyone walk around me like you think I’m going to snap into a bloodthirsty monster all of a sudden.” There was a deep pang in his chest. Did they not think he had the willpower? Did they not believe in him?

“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry.” Shiro apologized gently. “It’s not that we don’t think you can do it, we just know from experience how hard it is.”

He stood up, blood pounding in his ear as he grew overemotional. It drove him crazy, hating every second of his senses and emotions heightening. As much as he hated Shiro being right, he knew that as a fledgling, his senses were at best more muffled than the others. Now that his fangs were starting to emerge, his senses and emotions were starting to get more and more clear as a result. He was working on it. “No, it’s fine. I totally get it, Shiro. If you need me, I’m gonna go see if Coran needs any help unpacking in the library.” He didn’t look back. He couldn’t, not until he got himself back under control.

The next day found Keith tapping his foot impatiently as he stood on the curb, waiting for any sign of a school bus. He’d been standing outside since five am, and there wasn’t a single sign of it. Normally, he’d hop into the car with Coran since he preferred not to sleep and instead spend his time reading or soaking up new knowledge, but he was still unpacking and Keith didn’t want to interrupt him. Coran’s library was large and extensive; it was better to not bother. Shiro and Allura tended to sleep, either to pass the time or to simply enjoy sleeping and dreaming for a bit. Shiro was a morning person, but Allura would sleep in if given the chance. That meant Shiro was an option to take him, but he didn’t want to talk to him yet. Cue the bus waiting.

“Matt! Hurry your butt up! I’m gonna be late!” Shrieked a person in the driveway next door. She was short, sporting an oversized green hoodie and cargo shorts. The shouting immediately grabbed Keith’s attention.

Another person hurried out the door, the same mop of brown hair and glasses the smaller girl had. They took time to lock the door, despite the complaint from the other. “I’m hurrying as fast as I can! This is why I don’t take 8 am classes, Katie! I won’t wake up to an alarm!”

“You can sleep when you’re dead, college kid! I told Hunk I’d be there early so we could test our prototype!” She hopped into the car and was about to shut the door when she noticed Keith standing nearby. “Hey! You! New neighbor! Need a ride? The bus doesn’t come down this road, so you’ve probably missed it at the front of the cul-de-sac.”

“Oh, uh...” he blinked, startled at how easily she offered. “Sure, if that’s okay...” he hesitantly approached the car, getting in the back seat next to her. He put his backpack in his lap, using it as a makeshift shield. He needed his bubble.

“Sup,” the girl grinned over her circle glasses, “Name’s Katie, but my friends call me Pidge. This is Matt, my older brother. You just move in?” Both of the siblings grinned at him, as if they’d known him forever. They didn’t seem to care that he was a complete stranger.

He adjusted the bag on his lap so he had something to fumble around with during the uncomfortable personal assault on him. He didn’t do well with other people other than his family. “I’m Keith. My family just moved here from Quebec. We move around a lot. Do you give random neighbors rides often?”

“All the time.” They spoke in unison. Matt laughed, looking at them in the backseat through the mirror. “No worries, Keith. We don’t plan on kidnapping you. Katie’s too busy being a nerdy genius while I’m too busy geeking it out in grad school. No room to break the law.” Pidge nodded in agreement.

Keith didn’t warm up to people easy, but he found himself pleasantly surprised at how amusing the two Holts were. He was plenty content to listen to their banter the whole way to the school.

“So, what grade are ya, Keith?” Matt questioned curiously, as Pidge stuffed a halfway cooked frozen hot pocket in her mouth. It didn’t deter her in the slightest. He was almost impressed.

“Senior. Finally almost out of hell, right?” He shrugged dryly as he rolled his eyes. He’d been doing this for, well, a long time. Too long. This was his final year. Last senior year, last fledgling year, last all of it.

They laughed. Pidge hit his shoulder playfully, “Boy, do I know it. It’s my senior year too. I know I look young; I skipped two years. I’m technically only fifteen.” Keith blinked, shocked. Matt chimed in, “Oh yeah. Katie’s a genius. We’ve already been over that. Smarter than me, I’d bet. She can show you the ropes here.”

“That’d be great. Don’t want any teacher hating me on the first day.”

She snorted. “I like this one. He’s sarcastic. You’ll fit in well with the other misfits.”

“Wait, what other misfits?”

☆✼★ ☆✼★ ☆✼★

Pidge had successfully dragged him through every building on the Arus High campus in a quick attempt to show him around while also trying to find the group she referred to as the ‘“misfits”. It wasn’t until class was actually starting that she gave up. “Well, it looks like they’re late too. I’ll just introduce you during lunch then. Quick word of wisdom: don’t be late to class. They’re wicked strict. Come on!” She dismissed, dragging him to his first class. He’d figured it a simple, easy small town of a school, but after everything Pidge had and was currently telling him, he was starting to realize he was wrong. It didn’t help that Shiro had signed him up for all advanced classes. That bitch.

Pidge was with him in AP Biology and Ap Psychology, but had a different elective course than him; she’d chosen some coding class while he’d gotten workshop. They’d made a game plan to meet at lunch and discuss their second half classes. Pidge seemed to take him under her wing immediately, and while he certainly didn’t need it, it was good to have someone to talk to that wasn't in his coven.

“Mr. Kogane. Fantastic of you to join us.” A stern male teacher gruffed when he clattered into workshop five minutes late. The science and math hall was in a completely different building than his workshop class, and he’d gotten completely lost.

He grimaced a bit. So much for Pidge’s number one rule. “I’m sorry. I got lost.”

“Make sure it doesn’t happen again. Sit down, first table on the left. Maybe if he’s feeling generous, Mr. McClain will draw you a map.” The teacher dismissed him with a scowl. The class stifled a few chuckles and Keith felt his ears burn in embarrassment. The teacher then moved to going over the syllabus without even a second glance at him.

“Damn, who pissed in his coffee this morning?” He muttered as he got his stuff settled.

The guy beside him snickered. “That’s Mr. Iverson. He’s always like that. Although apparently he isn’t that bad if you’re on his good side. Which, of he has you sitting with me, means you totally aren’t.” Great, it was only the first day and Keith was already on a teacher’s bad side. That bode well for him. It was his second class of the day! “The name’s Lance. Lance McClain. I’ve been in this class since sophomore year. Last year, I convinced my buddy Hunk to join-“

Oh no, not this kind of guy. The one who would talk your ear off, even if you weren’t listening and made jokes in class that weren’t funny. Keith hated those kind of guys.

“-he totally got moved from being my partner in class way early. So who are you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.”

Keith didn’t answer. Maybe if he just focused on staring holes into the whiteboard, the Lance kid would leave him alone.

“Ooh, I see. You’re the mysterious, lone wolf new kid. I can dig that. The ladies love that. I can’t blame you. Personally, I’ve got my eye on Nyma. She’s hard to miss. She’s the one in the back row with the vitiligo. Hella hot.” Lance continued, nudging him and indicating to the girl. Keith’s jaw tensed.

Nope, guess that didn’t work. “Listen, Lance, I-“

“So he does speak!”

“Uh, yeah. Listen, I’d just rather focus on class than talk about the school gossip if that’s okay. I can’t afford to joke around. So I’m gonna tune you out now.” He put bluntly, sticking in a single earbud on the side closest to Lance. He wasn’t here to make friends. It was always better not to get attached. A strange offended look crossed the other’s face. Keith pretended not to see.

It was uneventful after that. He successfully dodged any further attempts to be social in workshop, and then in AP Psychology, except for Pidge. She wouldn’t be deterred in any way, shape, or form. Plus, he liked her spunkiness. She could stay. It wasn’t until the class ended and they were headed to lunch that he remembered she was introducing him to people. Great. “Will you chill out? They aren’t going to eat you.” Pidge grinned, punching him in the arm.

“I’m not a social person. I don’t like people.” He complained, tapping his fingers on the table in the lunchroom. It was large, with two lines for students to go through for lunches. The walls were standard cheap school cinderblock, painted in the school’s gaudy colors. More students filtered in and the noise level grew. He was starting to get a headache.

“So? Neither do I. These guys are the only tolerable ones here, believe me. Now eat your crappy cardboard pizza and try to give them a chance, you big emo.” She retorted easily, not giving him any chance to make up excuses. She balanced him out already, and if he was being honest, she scared him a little bit. She was 5’1” of pure sass. “Look, here they come now. Play nice. Hunk! Guys, over here! Lance!”

Wait, Lance?

“Yo, Pidgy! How’s my favorite green gremlin? You nerd out all summer?” A voice rang out across the hall. Oh, god. Sure enough there he was, in all his loud, grinning glory. The Lance he’d straight up ignored. He was followed by another guy, darker skinned and rushing to weave through the students to keep up with Lance. It was harder for him. Keith assumed that was Hunk.

“Lance, come on man! I can’t keep up when you run away like that.” The guy, Hunk, complained as he nearly bumped into Lance when he stopped dead in his tracks. “You’re that asshole from this morning!” He declared suddenly.

Keith winced. Pidge groaned, “you’re making a scene, sit down. Hunk, Lance, this is Keith Kogane. He just moved here from Quebec. Turns out, he lives next door to me. Keith, this is Hunk Garrett and Lance McClain, my losers. I’ve known them since middle school. You get used to ‘em.”

Lance looked like his eyes were going to bulge out. “Pidge! Pidgy! Don’t tell me you’ve adopted another stray. Him? He’s a jerk!” He complained, sitting down across from Pidge while Hunk sat across from Keith.

“Don’t let him get to you. He’s gets like this sometimes. He’s very over dramatic.” Hunk apologized to him. “You’ll get the hang of dealing with him.”

Lance groaned, head on the table. “Pidge! Hunk! No!” He drew out the no for as long as he could for effect. Both of them rolled their eyes. Keith just watched them all interact.

“What’s your damage? Damn.” Pidge hit him on the head to snap him out of it.

He whipped his head up accusingly. “He was mean! I was just trying to be nice and start a conversation with him cause he was new, and he totally snapped at me! He practically told me to fuck off!”

Pidge and Hunk raised their eyebrows at Keith. He held his hands up in defense. “That’s not true!” He jumped in, “I just told him I wanted to focus on class. He was talking about girls! Loudly!” That seemed to appease both of them thankfully. They knew Lance much better than he did.

“Not true either!” Lance cut back in, “He straight up ignored me!”

“I’m not good with social interactions, asswipe. I’ve moved around too much. Excuse me if I’d rather not be uncomfortable.” He ground out, his pulse pounding in his ears. His headache was piercing now and he felt the sharp pain of his fangs. They always wanted to pop when he got emotional, but it still wasn’t time, So they just act ached like crazy. Grinding his teeth probably didn’t help. Lance seemed at a loss for words after he snapped at him and it was almost as satisfying as the thought of literally ripping into him. Almost.

“Keith, I’m uh, I’m sorry-“

“Don’t bother. Jerk.” He bit, getting up to leave. He needed to calm down. He had to get himself under control, otherwise he’d become a danger. He told Shiro he could do this. He still could. He just needed a minute.

“What the fuck, Lance!” Pidge hissed to the other boy as Keith left. He didn’t stay to hear the rest. He skipped his next class, shaking and rubbing at his jaw.

By the time school was dismissed, he was mostly under control. Pidge ran into him as he was headed to the buses, dreading the close proximity. “Hey, I want to apologize for Lance. He isn’t usually like that. He can be such a dick sometimes.” She shook her head, angry at how he behaved. “Do you want to head home with me? I’ll make Matt get us greasy fast food.” She offered as an apology. He rolled his eyes as he cracked a small smile. Somehow they ended up with Matt demanding they get Steak and Shake from the other side of town, and Keith didn’t bother to text Allura or Shiro while he was shouting MCR with the Holts at the top of their lungs and windows down on the highway.

☆✼★☆✼★☆✼★

Pidge still had the music blasting as Matt pulled into Keith’s driveway. Keith and her were dramatically singing and somewhat dancing to Mr. Brightside by the Killers. It was a favorite of both of theirs, and Keith was very appreciative of Pidge’s music taste. Matt laughed and motioned for her to turn it down as he rolled up the windows. Immediately the door opened and Shiro came out onto the porch with a frown. Keith’s grin fell as he scrambled to get out of the car. “Shiro, I-“

“Are you okay? What happened to you? Coran was about to send out a search party!” He crossed his arms in an obvious power struggle between being angry and being relieved he was okay. Keith wilted under his gaze. The last thing he wanted was for Shiro and them to be disappointed in him.

“I was just...”

A car door shut and Matt walked around the car. “I’m afraid it’s my fault. Katie wanted food after school and I suggested something across town. Matt Holt, I live next door with my parents and little sister.” He extended his hand to Shiro with a carefree grin and relaxed attitude.

Shiro froze. He looked him over for a moment before slowly extending his own hand and shaking it. “Takashi Shirogane. People call me Shiro. I’m Keith’s older brother and guardian. Thank you for driving Keith home. Let us know if we can repay the favor.” He replied easily, smoothing his voice into full charm mode. Keith pretended he didn’t see him lick his lips. Gross.

“No worries. I take Katie to school all the time. We’re more than willing to drive Keith too. It’s right on the way to my college.” He leaned against the car with his signature easy grin that the Holts tended to have.

“Ah, you go to the university up the road? I start there myself in a few days.” His interest peaked curiously.

Matt perked up at that, prompting a quick conversation about majors and classes. He suggested they ride together if any of their classes actually matched, and Shiro agreed. It wasn’t until Pidge started blasting music again and caused Matt to jump a good three feet off the ground that he reluctantly ended the conversation. “Sorry, sorry! Pidge, come on! Not cool dude! I should get going. See you in the morning, Keith!” Matt waved dorkily, getting back into the car.

Shiro and Keith waved them goodbye at they pulled out of their driveway. He chuckled as he opened the front door. “Humans are so endearing, aren’t they?”

“Sure. That’s what we’re calling that little show then,” Keith shut the door behind him and dumped his backpack on the floor, “Are we already running out of bags? You’re never that appraising.” A big issue they always had when moving areas was getting a steady supply of blood bags again. Unlike some, Shiro and Allura preached about not feeding on humans. This caused occasional shortages.

He just shrugged. “He may have smelled nice. Allura needs a few days to slip into the blood bank. Her compulsion effect takes time. You don’t need to worry about that. You’re not hungry, are you?”

Keith swallowed, suddenly aware of the dryness in his throat. Shiro was pale. He needed to preserve his blood. “No, I’ll be good for a while.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Warning to all! Allura’s being scandalous!” Coran shouted to alert the boys in the kitchen. They exchanged glances at each other as he loudly entered the kitchen, door slamming open.

Shiro chuckled over his steaming cup of coffee. “What did she do this time?”

Coran didn’t have a chance to answer as a loud, boastful laugh rang out from the second floor steps. Keith sat down his spoon besides the bowl of cereal he was eating. Oh boy, that didn’t sound good. It only took her but two seconds to slam the door again as she made her own entrance.

“Feast your eyes, gentlemen! Look upon my free legs in wonder! Now, now, I know it must be a lot for you to witness Takashi, but please do try to keep it together.” She bragged haughtily as she turned, strutted around and lifted her legs up to show of her outfit of the day. It involved a frilly blue racerback tank top and her personal favorite pair of high waisted jean shorts. Her silver dyed hair was up in a high ponytail, curls cascading down her back like a waterfall.

Shiro raised an amused eyebrow at her with a curled lip smile as he watched her over the rim of his coffee cup. “Must you do this every single time you wear shorts or pants? The initial shock wore off in the 60’s.”

“Of course I do,” she leaned against him with a leg pointed into the air, “If I had to deal with various corsets and dress wear for well over 300 years, then I will absolutely take my time enjoying my free legs. And you all will suffer hearing about it!” She grinned, taking Shiro’s free hand and spinning herself with it. Shiro chuckled, careful of spilling his coffee.

“You spoil her, Coran. She wants the shock factor.” He entertained her silly dance through the kitchen while he finished his coffee. “I fear she’ll never stop.”

Coran shook his head in mock distress, “Sorry, my boy. It adds excitement if I comply to her wishes. I’m afraid we’re all wrapped around Allura’s finger.” He sat down beside Keith at the breakfast table.

“Uncle Coran, you spoil me.” She batted her eyes at him before finally dropping her exuberant act. The toast popped up from the toaster, and she plucked the one Shiro carefully picked out with a wink. He sent her an exasperated glance that did absolutely nothing to deter her. “Ugh, on a different note, I’m still being interviewed at the hospital. The director is super hard to compel. He’s got a will of steel, I swear. So I’ll be finishing off the last bag we have for hopefully my last meeting with him. Start hunting, boys.” She popped over to the fridge, pulling out the last full blood bag from the bottom drawer. Keith frowned at the comment as they discussed hunting for animals near the ridge out of town. He could hold out until they had blood again, so he didn’t bother them too. Hunting could be difficult at times depending on the animal population and where they were. They weren’t likely to find anything other than rabbits and the occasional fox. No bears or mountain lions here.

She sat down on the other side of Keith, sipping the tube. “I’m taking you and the neighbor to school today, so you’ll have to show me the way. Hurry up with your cereal.” The more she fed, the less blue her eyes became, filling slowly with a dark crimson as her body regenerated dead cells. The effect was temporary; it only lasted the feeding and about thirty minutes afterwards. It was the strongest point of a vampire’s feeding schedule. She winked when she caught Keith watching, slipping on a pair of white Louis Vuitton sunglasses from the counter. “Let’s head out then.” 

Pidge, just like every other person on the planet, was immediately enamored with Allura. Their coven called it the Allura Effect. She was powerful, even in vampire terms and she knew it. Her ability to compel was rare, and she had amazing control over it. Pidge’s attraction came when she found out that Allura was applying to the same hospital that her mother, Colleen Holt, worked. Suddenly Pidge and Allura were best friends and Keith was the one third wheeling. She promised to give her mom good words on Allura’s behalf to help her out in the application process. Keith had to hand it to her; she really knew how to make connections out of thin air.

“Hold up, is that Lance?” Pidge peered out the window. She pointed to a guy with a backpack standing by the side of the road a few neighborhoods out from their cul de sac. As they got closer, the guy’s features grew more and more evidently Lance. You couldn’t mistake his blue eyes and ridiculously tan and perfect skin anywhere. “Holy shit, Allura pull over. Is he stranded? Don’t give me that look, Keith. You’ve dealt with him just fine this far.” In two weeks, Lance and Keith had found a middle ground, full of vague remarks instead of just ignoring each other if they could. Pidge was good at forcing them to deal with each other’s company. At least they didn’t fight anymore. Even if there were times where Keith really, really wanted to.

Allura pulled the Escape to the side of the road and Keith groaned. She betrayed him, her own coven mate, for Pidge. Rude. Pidge rolled down the passenger side window, she’d won shotgun from him in a game of Rock Paper Scissors, with a smirk. She cupped her hands around her mouth to shout, “Need a ride, loser?”

Lance looked up from frowning at his phone. Relief washed over his face immediately. “Thank God you’re here Pidge. My car broke down and Mamá had to take Leo to his doctor’s appointment since Mia and Marco had to get to work, so she’s already gone. Marco is coming to tow the car when he gets out of what he’s already doing at the shop, but that’s in like, 30 minutes and if I get another tardy I’ll get detention big time.” He ranted, never coming up for a breath. That was something Keith was quickly learning about Lance; he rambled when he got nervous or excited.

“Hop in. Keith’s in the back.” Pidge grinned, jerking her thumb back towards him. Lance’s eagerness to get in the car faltered, but he shook it off quickly. Wow, so much for progress, Keith thought with a scowl. “Oh, Lance, this is Allura by the way. She’s Keith’s... what are you again?”

“Adopted sister,” she supplied with a hum, “My uncle Coran adopted me after my parents got ill, and Keith and Shiro were adopted soon after. It’s nice to meet you, Lance. I love to meet Keith’s friends.”

Lance’s has dropped. Keith rolled his eyes. The Allura Effect strikes again. “Dude, your sister’s hot.” He whispered with a dumb lovesick grin. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Allura. You’re even more beautiful in person. I’m Lance and you can call me anytime.” He winked at her with finger guns.

Oh god, he winked. Keith and Pidge groaned loudly. “No way man, that’s the worst pickup line ever!” Pidge wheezed in laughter, while Keith pretended to throw up. 

“I’m a bit too old for you, Lance.” Allura chuckled good naturedly, “Besides, I’m spoken for.” 

“Aw man. Maybe next time!” He shrugged it off with an embarrassed rub of the back of his neck. They got to the school shortly after, and the three high schoolers filed out of the car. “Thanks again for taking us!” Pidge waved, turning on her heel and yanking the boys into the building with her.

Hunk was seated at their usual morning meet up space, pouring over a math textbook with a tall, kind looking girl with gold hooped earrings and a freshly cut bob haircut. Keith recognized her from hanging out with Hunk before, but she didn’t ever stick around long enough for him to actually be introduced. “So, you take the x and multiply it with this like so... yeah! Perfect! I told you you’d get it!”

She beamed at the praise, “Really? I thought it was super hard, but the way you explained it made it seem so simple. Thank you so much!”

A tell tale blush darkened against his cheeks. “It was all you. You just needed a nudge in the right direction, that’s all. Let me know if you need anymore help, I’m always down to lend a hand.” He offered, only tripping up on a few words. Smooth. She smiled from ear to ear, showing in her big, doe-like eyes. 

“You’re such a big help. Here,” she scribbled something down on the edge of his paper, “Send me a text. Then we can help each other all the time!” His eyes widened as he mumbled something in response. She was off with a wave before he could actually say anything coherent. 

Pidge lost her grip on Lance, and before anyone could stop him, he was bouncing over to his best friend with a wide, shit eating grin. “Bro! Holy shit, did you just get Shay Balmera’s number?”

Hunk jumped in his seat. “Bro! How long have you been watching?” He pulled his notebook close to his chest, refusing to let Lance peek over his shoulder and see. He was extremely embarrassed and Lance was loud. He loves him, he does, but he’s a loud person. 

“Long enough. Lemme see!” He retorted with a dismissive wave. He poked at Hunk, climbing over him to try to see it. Hunk batted at him as they got halfway locked into a wrestling match. Lance wriggled around, hopping onto his back and reaching for the notebook. Hunk clutched it close while he tried to shake Lance’s iron grip off of him. “Hunk, bro, come on! Bro code!”

“Lance! Bro code doesn’t involve Shay!” He complained right back at him as Lance began to tickle him. “No, no, bro, no way! You’re playing dirty!” He laughed under the assault, still attempting to get away. Lance managed to bat the notebook out of Hunk’s hands and it clattered to the floor. Both boys paused and looked at each other with determination before both throwing themselves at the floor. The notebook skittered to a stop at Keith’s feet and he picked it up with an eyebrow raise at them sprawled on the floor of the hallway. 

“Keith..!” They both pleaded, one desperate for knowledge while the other was desperate for privacy. So he glanced down at the pretty, cursive sprawled numbers and then closed the notebook. He handed it silently to Hunk, a small smile of understanding on his face. This was a private matter of the heart. Lance could wait; those two were bound to get together if the small cluster of hearts by Shay’s name was anything to go by. Hunk returned his own grateful smile right back. 

☆✼★☆✼★☆✼★

“Okay, I’ll bite. It was a number right?” Lance sighed, swiveling around in his spinning chair to directly face Keith. Keith noticed from his peripheral but didn’t acknowledge. Instead, he focused on the metal dog tag he was currently engraving. He planned on giving it to Shiro for Christmas, so he didn’t want to mess up. “Come on, man. I know you can hear me.” Lance spoke up again after a few moments of silence.

He finished up the curved line he’d been working in and sat the graver down with a sigh. “Why do you want to know so badly?”

Lance frowned, fidgeting the leather and metal wrist band he was working with during the unit. “It’s... Listen, I don’t expect you to get it, but... Hunk’s my best friend. He’s been my best friend since I moved to the States in elementary school. He was my first friend here. He’s had my back ever since then, and I have his. We’re tight, y’know? If he doesn’t wanna tell me, then that’s fine. I just worry for him occasionally. He’s got a big heart and I don’t want some chick to mess with that. He’s had a crush on Shay since freshman year. I’ve been his wingman for even longer. I wanna be able to celebrate with him. I’ve gushed about various dates and stuff, so I want him to know he can do the same.” He mumbled, picking up the graver so he had something to do with his hands. “Of course I won’t push if he doesn’t want me to...”

The other was at a loss. So he wasn’t a completely self-centered fuckboy. Who knew?

“Oh shit!” Lance shouted suddenly. He dropped the graver onto the table as he winced, pulling his hand back to his chest protectively as he cradled it in pain. Keith turned in his seat to see the commotion and froze when the very sudden, very potent smell of an open wound hit him right in the face. “Can you hand me that paper towel? I sliced right into my thumb.” Lance grimaced, inspecting the slash. 

It hit him so fast he hadn’t had any chance to prepare. Sharp pain radiated in his jaw and mouth, his ears rang and he felt the low pressure of his blood drain from his face. His fangs didn’t pop, they still weren’t ready, but they pressed insistently against his gums. He wouldn’t usually have such a strong reaction if he had taken the offer from Coran to feed before school, but he knew they were low. He was a big enough bother already. Harboring an illegally made fledgling that wasn’t even theirs was more than enough to be bothersome, no matter what they told him. If they had to starve for a while, then he could too. He still could do it.

“Keith, come on, man. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of blood.” Lance prompted him out of his staring at the wound. “Hand me the paper towel.” 

Keith’s eyes slowly moved to his face as he reached in front of him and remembered how to move. He was slow, unnaturally slow, but he ripped one off the rack and tossed it to him. “I’m going to be sick.” He lied as he pushed away from the table with gritted teeth. It was all he could say before rushing out of the room.

Mr. Iverson looked up from where he was helping a student in the back of the class. “Well, looks like we have our first injury of the year, ladies and gentlemen. McClain, to the nurses office.”

Lance frowned at the empty seat beside him. “Yes sir.”

☆✼★☆✼★☆✼★

Lance’s car wasn’t fixed by the end of the day like he’d been desperately hoping. Pidge offered to take him home with them since Matt was supposed to be picking them up after his lecture. Parents were messaged and sure enough, Lance was allowed to ride with them. Marco or someone would pick him up after work. The four of them waited in front of Arus High in the little courtyard where they wouldn’t be watched by any teachers. Lance had a habit of getting in trouble without meaning to, so the less supervisors the better. Hunk and Pidge sat on a stone bench, telling them all about their most recent project in Robotics, which was some hovering, Illuminati shaped thing. They named it Rover. Keith and Lance both got pretty lost when they spoke technical jargon, but Lance tried really hard to be supportive even if he had no idea what they were talking about. Keith gave up halfway through when his headache grew into an intense throbbing headache. He was sitting on the grass like Lance, but he leaned up against a tree a little bit away. If he closed his eyes and accidentally tuned them all out, they didn’t call him out. They probably thought he hit his social limit or something.

“Keith!”

His eyes shot open. That didn’t sound like Matt.

“Keith, over here!” Shiro waved enthusiastically from the car. Pidge got up to snatch all of her stuff, so the others did too.

“What are you doing here?” He hissed under his breath, claiming the front seat before anyone else. The others fought for window seats in the back. Pidge was winning.

Shiro just chuckled as the loaded in, “Matt’s lecture ran over. He sent me a text asking if I’d do him a favor and carpool today. Who’s the friends? I already know Pidge.”

“That’s Hunk, the good one, and that’s Lance, the one that flirted with Allura this morning.” Keith brushed over the introductions as quick as he could, ignoring how Lance kicked his seat. He just winked at him in the rearview mirror and flipped him off over the seat. Lance frowned. “Everyone, this is Shiro. He’s my overbearing older brother.”

The low whistle from Lance caused Pidge to elbow him. “Dude, ow. Also, is everyone in your family ridiculously good looking? Cause that’s just not fair.” He shoved Pidge into the door in retaliation, starting a chill back and forth nudging fest. It happened a lot. “You’re the worst,” she groaned, “You find everyone ridiculously good looking! It’s gross.”

“I agree with Pidge. Are you really going to hit on every single member of my family?” Keith questioned as he swatted at Lance’s foot reaching over his seat to push his beanie off his head. So Lance ended up with the middle seat after all. “Stop it, I’m serious! Get your nasty foot away from me.” 

“I’m more interested in the fact you included Keith in your declaration of hotness,” Hunk added in not so helpfully as he munched on literal popcorn. He’d saved it from his packed lunch. 

Lance’s face of horror was priceless. “Hunk! What? No! He’s practically my rival remember?” He gestured wildly. 

“Aw, I always knew you cared.” Keith drawled in a sickeningly sweet and sarcastic voice. “Did you hear that, Shiro? He thinks our family’s hot.”

“Wouldn’t be the first person.” Shiro smiled good naturedly in the mirror to Lance to make sure he knew the teasing wasn’t serious. Lance’s foot finally snagged the red beanie, tearing it off of Keith’s head with a flourish. He snatched it into his hands with a smirk.

Keith groaned loudly, twisting around in the seat to get it back. “You and your goddamn monkey feet! Give it back, asshole!”

“Hmm. Nope. It’s mine now. A genuine emo kid relic. I should open up a museum.” Lance displayed it proudly on his head. Pidge and Hunk clapped appreciatively.

He glared at him, hoping he’d give it back if he though Keith was offended enough. Really, it wasn’t that much of an inconvenience. It didn’t work on Lance at all. He just grinned and egged him on like always. “Don’t make me come back there.” Keith warned seriously.

“You won’t.” Lance stuck his tongue out.

“Oh snap,” Pidge whistled, waiting to see what he’d do. Keith sighed, glancing between the three of them before climbing over the seat and into the fray of limbs and bodies. A glance at Hunk got him on Keith’s side, and suddenly Hunk was tickling him in revenge for the morning. Lance wailed pleas and complained complaints, but Hunk didn’t stop. Keith snatched the beanie back with a triumphant grin and swung back into the front seat.

Shiro shook his head, “You all are going to get me arrested, aren't you?”

“We aim to please.” Pidge grinned.

☆✼★☆✼★☆✼★

His headache wasn’t as bad when he was distracted. The group of misfits Pidge had collected did wonders at distraction. She invited him to chill with them until dinner, and instead of declining like he normally would, he actually took the offer. He found himself pleasantly surprised at how much he enjoyed their company, even if all he did was watch them play video games and make fun of Lance. Well, he made fun of Lance. The other’s didn’t nearly as much as he did. Lance did it right back to him anyways. It was their dynamic. Lance wasn’t nearly as annoying when you had a person like Hunk to act as a buffer. Shiro had dropped them off at the curb, explaining that he had to go pick up Matt too, and showed back up an hour later with him in tow. Shiro ended up staying as well, surprising Keith mildly.

Shiro had taken special interest in the older Holt sibling from the start. It seemed like all the Holts had a habit of adopting strays in their ranks. They switched on and off taking turns taking Katie and Keith to school, but now they were also carpooling to university together on certain days. Apparently they were becoming friends. Colleen and Sam were as kind and welcoming as their children, maybe even more so. By the end of dinner, Shiro agreed to bring the rest of their small and strange family to dinner to meet the neighbors. All a part of blending into society once again. Shiro was great at mooching up to unsuspecting humans. 

They left late, about the time that Lance’s oldest brother came to pick him up. He was excited when he rolled up in his now fixed car. “Blue! I’ve missed you baby!” He shouted, hugging the side happily. Keith’s headache returned in earnest, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he said his goodbyes and walked around the yard to their house. He was riding a high of being around people that made him happy to socialize. It was a first to actually feel like he belonged, and he was enjoying it thoroughly. 

“Keith,” Shiro interrupted his train of thought, “I want you to take something to heart for me since we’re on the subject. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad you’re having a good time and making friends. That’s great and I don’t want you to stop. But I need you to remember that they’re human. You can allow yourself to get too close or forget that. Humans grow and die so quickly, and I don’t want you to feel that heartbreak. I saw many loved ones turn to dust and it took me a long time to stop carrying that grief. Don’t let yourself get too close, that’s all.” 

Keith’s good mood fizzled out. “I know that. We’re only here to finish my turning. It doesn’t matter, I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can.” He clapped him on the back supportively. “I was just making sure you’re taking that into account. It’ll get easier to remember with time.” He felt a lot better when he made it clear with Keith. He didn’t want to worry unnecessarily. 

He didn’t look back at him. “I hope so...”

“I believe in you, Keith. You’ll get the hang of it. You’re a strong kid.” 

And maybe if he got control of the tremors shaking through his body later that night, maybe he would get the hang of it. Allura just needed one more day. He could hold out one more day too. He just had to grit his teeth and be an adult about it. His circulation was sluggish as his body temperature fell a significant amount. His bones cracked and ached as he curled in upon himself. His body would start to die if he didn’t feed soon. “One more day,” he told himself stubbornly, “Only one day. Just one...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes chapter 2! I hope you guys enjoy it. Things are slow while the crew gets settled in, but have no fear, things will pick up speed soon! 
> 
> Remember to follow and talk to me on tumblr  
> Moonpeachhh.tumblr.com or on Instagram at amporaaf ! Also please feel free to leave me comments or kudos below! <3


	3. Chapter 3

To put it simply, he felt like death. It was like his initial turning, unable to move in the cold Chicago snow as Death himself breathed down his neck. Shiro and Allura had been angels, and still to this day represented all that was good, warm, and compassionate. It was an ironic and cruel twist of fate on Keith; he had to die before he found someone who loved him unconditionally. What an awful joke. Maybe that was part of the reason for causing himself unnecessary pain during their most recent shortage. They shouldn’t have to suffer for him anymore. A cup of black coffee managed to get his circulation up and running and helped him through half of the day. He was still ready to crack by workshop. He decided on a compromise to himself, if he could finish the rest of the day, he’d go to Allura to feed. 

“Are you even listening, dude?” Lance complained with a small shove. “You’ve been staring holes into that paper and haven’t written anything down yet.” 

Keith whipped his head up, completely on edge. “Could you not?”

“Damn, you look like you’ve been hit by a truck. Are you okay?” Lance pressed on, leaning in closer to inspect him.

“I said, could you not? Goddamn.” Keith grabbed his wrist with a scowl. Lance’s face contorted in pain as he gripped it too tight. He didn’t let go. His second mistake was touching his very warm, very human arm in the first place. He felt the thrum of blood pumping through his arm when his arm was clenching tightly, trying hard to pass through the veins and into his hand. He could feel the blood rushing through his body, every pump of his heart, every breath in his lungs as his body reacted in alert and his heart rate spiked. He was startled. Good, he thought with surprised delight, good, he should be scared. 

“Keith! What the fuck man? Let go. What’s wrong with you? You’re freezing!” Lance hissed under his breath, doing his best to not raise any alarms in the classroom. No one had noticed yet, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Keith was freaking him out.

It managed to break him out of his haze. He dropped the other’s arm with a small gasp. “I’m sorry. I don’t… I don’t know what came over me.” He rasped through his dry throat. A sudden shock of pain in his mouth hit him all at once, and he clenched his hands into fists to stay quiet. He leant his head down on the cold desk and shut his eyes. This pain was like nothing he’d ever felt before. Calm down, you can’t lose it like this! What does Shiro say all the time? Patience yields focus.

“Keith, you look hella sick. Are you sure you’re alright? Should I go get the teacher?” his voice was filled with too much worry and it was still much too close to him. Why was Lance so loud? 

“Leave me alone. I’m fine, so please just leave me alone,” He hissed back. “Just, shut up. Please.”

“I don’t think- “

“Shut up!” Keith snapped suddenly. Lance’s mouth opened but no sound came out.

“Mr. Kogane, Mr. McClain. Am I interrupting something?” Mr. Iverson ground out. He was warning them; another interruption would mean bad news for both.

“Sorry.” They both responded automatically. He seemed to find that enough and resumed his teaching. Lance swiveled back to face Keith immediately. “You are not fine. You look like you’re dying. Go home.”

“No. I told you I’m fin- “ He pinched his eyes shut through another wave of pain. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought his fangs were about to pop. But that was impossible unless he reached peak maturity or the brink of starvation… Oh no.

He scrambled to unlock his phone with shaky fingers. He needed to get out of there after all.

 

New message to: Shark bait   
You:  
Shiro.  
Hypothetically, what happens to a fledgling who can’t feed from other vampires?

 

Shark bait:  
Depends on how close to their first meal they are. A newbie would starve, but if they were around your age for example, with symptoms of peak maturity then they could inadvertently speed up the process. Why?

You:  
I think I made a mistake.   
Yup, definitely a mistake.  
I need help.  
Code red

☆✼★☆✼★☆✼★

The rest of class passed in a hazy blur. Lance grew even more concerned, finally refusing to let him keep up the act. Class dismissed, and he looped an arm around Keith, determined to take him to the nurse despite the mumbling protests from the frail boy in his arms. He collapsed into his arms immediately. When they arrived at the nurse’s office, Lance groaned loudly. “On break?! School nurses take breaks? Are you kidding me?” He lowered Keith into a waiting chair by the closed door. “Don’t worry. I’ll go find a teacher to call her back.”

“Wait.”

Lance froze, “Yeah?”

“Don’t leave me alone.” Keith insisted, raised his slumped head to stare at him. “We can wait, just stay here with me.”

Something was off about the way he said it. You could tell just by his eyes how not present he really was. Lance was legitimately afraid he was going to die. Was it a concussion? Aneurism? Could high school students even have aneurisms? He needed to get the nurse. Or call 911. Something. 

“Please, Lance. I need you here.” He insisted.

He sighed, “Fine, but only for a minute. If she isn’t back in five minutes, I’m getting somebody.” 

Keith grinned lazily. “Perfect.” Lance sat beside him, impatiently watching the hall for any signs of the nurse. Keith’s eyes never left Lance, causing him to look over. He was leaning towards him. “You know, there’s something special about you. You’re so willing. Why are you so eager to help me?” His eyes narrowed as he inspected him as if his body would tell him the answer.

“Dude, you’re freaking me out a little here. I should go get someone.” He moved to stand up, but Keith grabbed his wrist lightning fast and held him down. 

“Don’t! Just… Stay here. Please.”

Lance frowned, sitting back down. Keith didn’t let go of his wrist. His nails were digging into his skin, leaving dark red marks. Lance was just on the right side of startled; his heart rate was elevated and pulsing quickly. The fear was heavy and thick in his blood stream, exactly as it should be. All Keith had to do was get a little closer to the source, open his mouth, and bite…

“Keith!”

He snapped his head up, mouth slightly parted. He was extremely pissed that someone had interrupted him. Who had the fucking nerve- 

“Oh, Shiro! Thank god you’re here! I’m just gonna go now…” Lance laughed awkwardly. He took a few steps away from Keith. 

Shiro smiled to him apologetically. “I’m sorry. My brother has spells of sickness. Its quite normal for him to slip out of it. You don’t need to worry.” Lance nodded and gave him an unsteady thumbs up before stumbling away.

“What the hell, Shiro?!” 

“W0hat the hell, Keith! We’ll talk about this in the car.” Shiro snapped, roaring him down quickly. He was the patriarch, not Keith. He kept an iron grip on Keith’s arm as he both supported and escorted him out of the building as quickly and quietly as possible. Keith fought his grip every step of the way. It was no use; Shiro was bigger, stronger, and older than him. There was no chance of escape. 

Shiro shut the car door with a slam. Keith’s eyes stayed dilated and he stayed sharply on edge for most of the ride home. He looked around wildly for escape. Shiro just drove calmly and waited until he settled down. The loud breathing finally slowed, the growls into whimpers of pain as he calmed down from his frenzy. “Better?” 

“Hurts,” he gripped his arms as he huddled in the seat, “Hurts so much.”

Shiro sighed softly, “Keith, you can’t do this to yourself. It hurts to watch. Someone could’ve got hurt, Lance could’ve got killed.” 

“I’m s-sorry.” He chattered. It was so cold. 

“how long has you gone without a meal?”

“Since the c-car ride. I’m sorry. I take it all back, please just help me. I feel like I’m dying.” He pleaded with a croaky, desperate voice. His body was deteriorating rapidly as fate caught up to him. His fangs were ready to pop at any time if they smelled viable, human blood. 

But Shiro had him now. His coven had saved him from plenty of rash decisions in the past and he knew Shiro would do the same. He always had his back. He promised. They arrived back at home and Shiro helped him out of the car carefully. Matt was outside doing lawn work and stopped to wave to Shiro. His wide smile fell when he saw Keith’s state. Shiro just shook his head and helped him inside.

“Oh, Shiro, you’re home early- oh my! Keith are you okay?” Coran looked up from where he was reading in the foyer. 

“No, he isn’t.” Shiro snapped, sitting Keith down and rolling up his right sleeve. 

Allura peeked her head into the foyer. “I heard voices- Keith!” She dropped what she was doing to rush in, joining Shiro beside Keith. Coran came over as well. “What happened?”

“He’s been starving himself,” Shiro filled them in, “Allura, I need a bit of help here. Someone here decided to take our shortage problem into his own hands. I truly can not believe the foolishness he’s gotten himself into now.” 

Allura quickly nodded and bit into Shiro’s arm without hesitation, opening a large wound over the artery. Keith zeroed in on it immediately, using the last bit of his strength to lean up and reach for the arm offered to him. He brought it to his mouth hungrily. Relief flooded him instantaneously as he sucked greedily at what was given. Fireworks of bliss sparkled and shattered behind his eyelids. Feeding was always a pleasurable experience for vampires, but the desperate edge amplified it tenfold. It was heaven. 

“Okay, that’s enough.” Shiro paled, starting to edge on drained. Keith was too far away to really hear him however and kept feeding for as much as he could get. “I said enough! Stop!” Shiro tried again to no avail. Finally, he settled for brute strength and pushed the fledgling away from him. He stepped away dizzily. His arm kept bleeding but began to stitch itself up into a jagged scar. It would go away when Shiro fed next. Vampires didn’t scar after they were turned. Scars received during human life didn’t ever fade though. Keith looked up at him pleadingly, mouth stained and bloodied. He made a huge mess. 

Coran helped Shiro sit to gain his bearings. “Why’d you stop?” Keith whined, wiping at his bloodied face and chin. Allura was there with a wet washcloth in seconds. She cleaned away the blood while he slowly came back to himself. Shiro only needed a moment before he was back on his feet again. 

“I can’t replenish all that you need. If I give you anymore, we risk you going into a second blood frenzy and me loosing too much blood to be able to stop you. You need rest before you feed again.” He stretched to get his blood moving again and knelt to meet Keith’s eyes. The younger boy’s appearance already looked better; his skin was less pale and didn’t cling to his bones anymore. Sleep would do him good in aiding the process of replenishing his body. “Keith. I’m not angry, but I am disappointed. You’re old enough to know your limits. If you can’t be smart about your transition, then I’ll have no choice but to pull you out of public school and monitor you myself. You’re smarter than this. You aren’t a burden on any of us, and you never will. Understood? So, don’t cause yourself unnecessary suffering when all of this is already a curse in and of itself!” He got a bit authoritative and frustrated by the time his spiel was over and sighed deeply, rubbing his face. Allura stood beside him and reached out to rub his shoulders to relieve some of the tension. 

“What he means is that we are a family now. Don’t ever think you aren’t one of us. We all have our bad days, but its easier to get through them together. Come with me, I think we could all use a rest. What do you say?” She spoke gently, a soothing middle man in the scolding.

Keith stared at the ground and took in all they had to say silently with balled up fists. He knew he was in the wrong, but it was an honest mistake. He was just trying to help! There were a lot of moments where he struggled to understand and live like a normal human child or teenager through the years. He grew frustrated constantly because of the mental and emotional stress of it all. Shiro was right; this was a curse. “I’m sorry for worrying you. It won’t happen again.”

“We care for you immensely, my boy. None of us were fledglings, so I’m sure it must be a very lonely experience to you. But I knew quite a few fledglings in my time. All of us are here to root you on and care for you.” Coran added helpfully.

Keith looked around at the three of them. Not one of them appeared angry or upset, just supportive. “Alright,” He gave them a small smile in return. He wasn’t completely sure, but he would be with time. They wouldn’t let him fall. 

☆✼★☆✼★☆✼★

“So, is Keith alright? He looked really serious a few hours ago.” Matt brought up nonchalantly from where he was laying sideways on the bed, ps4 controller in his hands and his feet in Shiro’s lap. Shiro frowned at the question but didn’t falter in playing the game on Matt’s television. There was a strange sense of normalcy when he hung out with Matt, made him forget what he was for a moment.

“He gets sick sometimes. Its always been this way, ever since he was little. Some energy deficiency thing.” He sighed, the worry and stress still in his body from earlier.

“Do you want my mom to take a look?” Matt questioned as he aggressively tapped the buttons on his controller.

Shiro shook his head, his character making the final sniper shot to kill the boss on the screen. Matt triumphantly wiggled his feet in Shiro’s lap with a small cheer. “Nah, its alright. Allura got him a great doctor. Besides, there’s nothing we can do but take care of him. Usually we don’t have this bad of a bad day.” 

“You worry for him. That’s understandable, dude. Pidge got a bad case of pneumonia when she was seven, had to be hospitalized and everything. It’s crazy scary to watch someone you love to hurt like that. I’m rooting for him, so let him know he has a lot of people in his corner.” He grinned easily at him, game forgotten on the loading screen.

Shiro smiled back, ignoring the way his heart sped up. Feeling strongly had always been a curse in his new life. He didn’t care for anyone in his human life; he’d been greedy for a better life for himself and didn’t care who he had to step on to get there. He pillaged and plummeted most of his teens and twenties away during the golden age of the seas, the peak of piracy. He was ignorant, and he paid for it every day. Now he suffered, watching humans thrive and then inevitably die. Friends and lovers he was never meant to make. Friends like Matt. 

“I can practically hear you worrying. Come on, I’ll teach you overwatch next.” Matt prompted softly, getting up to change the game in the slot and then plopping down next to him again with the controller. He handed it over with a broad grin as he explained the controls animatedly, refusing to let Shiro brood. People like Matt changed the world. Shiro hoped he’d be able to stick around long enough to get to see what direction his life went. He didn’t want to watch from the sidelines.

“Hey Matt?”

“Yeah?” He paused, looking over to him, quirking an eyebrow mischievously. 

“Thank you.”

☆✼★☆✼★☆✼★

The whole day of school passed slower than anything Lance had ever experienced. Not even when his mama broke him out of school in the seventh grade to go to the opening of the new theme park! Keith terrified him that morning. Despite his rather large family, he’d never been unlucky enough to witness serious illness. Scrapes and broken bones happened all the time in the McClain household, but nothing any more serious. Mama said it had something to do with God watching over their home. But Keith really did look like he was on the brink of death. He was fading right in front of Lance’s eyes and there was nothing he could do to stop it. There was no way he couldn’t go check to make sure he was okay. He absolutely had to check. It didn’t matter that technically he had a rivalry with the guy. It was the decent thing to do, even if that meant showing up at seven at night.

He ended up faltering by the time he arrived on their front steps. Oh god, what if they didn’t want him there? What if Keith was in the hospital by now and no one was home? What if he really was dying from some rare disease and only had a few months left? He couldn’t make up his mind, and luckily for him, Shiro and Allura made up his mind for him.

“You should go around from the east and ill start on the west. Drive them towards each other and we can use Coran as a barrier.” Shiro spoke with his hands, deep in conversation with Allura. They appeared as if they were about to go hiking.

“Great idea. Then we’ll go directly for the…” Allura trailed off as she bumped into Lance. “Oh, hello there, Lance.”

“Hey. I made soup? Well, my Familia made it, but I brought it. How’s Keith?” He rambled awkwardly to the two confused adults. He attempted to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. 

“Keith is fine. He’s resting.” Allura answered nice and polite, even if it came out more hesitant than she preferred. She didn’t elaborate any further and Lance felt his heart drop. “I’m sure he will enjoy the soup. Um, thanks.”

“Can I see him?”

They paused and exchanged loaded glances at each other. Lance held his stare expectantly.

“Oh, I don’t know…”

“He’s still resting so…”

“Shiro. I saw him today. He looked like hell. So, could you be straight with me for like, ten seconds? Why the hell did he look so bad? Is he dying or something?” Lance cut through their vagueness. He was here for answers, after all. 

“No, he isn’t dying. Keith has a medical condition and it flared up today. Its nothing to be worried about, I assure you.” Shiro responded levelly, holding his gaze in a battle of wills. 

Lance set his jaw. “Then can I please see him?” They exchanged glances again and he knew their answer hadn’t changed at all.

“Lance-“ Allura began, stopping when the front door opened once more. A pang of excitement hit Lance; he hoped it was Keith. All he wanted to do was see that he was feeling better. Unease settled sickly in his stomach when he remembered that grin. Something just wasn’t right about it.

Disappointment framed his face for a moment when an older man with bright orange hair and a matching mustache stepped onto the porch instead. “What is going on out here? A party I wasn’t invited to, perhaps?” Lance’s rifled through hid mind as he tried to match the man’s face with a name. Was this his uncle? “Where are my manners? Coran, my boy. Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, the first.” He held out his hand proudly, leaning in and winking as he added the last part as if it was some inside joke the two of them shared. Lance shook it numbly.

“Lance... McClain. The first.” He blinked, finally coming out of his stupor and grinning right back. Now this was a guy he could get! 

Coran clapped him on the back, pleased by the response. “Are you one of Keith’s friends from school? Or perhaps you go to college with Shiro? You seem a bit young, but anything’s possible, isn’t it?”   
“Coran-“ Shiro started with a warning glance. 

“Keith’s. I brought soup, so he could get better. In fact, I was kinda really hoping to see him.” He beamed his best kiss ass smile at the older man. Coran nodded in understanding and took the pot of soup from Lance’s arms. 

“Well I certainly don’t see a problem with that if he is feeling up to it.” He nodded automatically. Allura bit at her bottom lip with a frown. Shiro looked as if he wanted to say something. 

Lance hurriedly followed Coran inside without a second glance. What was their damage anyways? He felt kind of bad for bypassing their authority like that, but Coran was the real adult here right? He knew what he was doing. Shiro and Allura were just older siblings. “He should still be resting, so he’ll be upstairs. First room on the left.” Coran explained as he detoured to the kitchen with the soup. Lance nodded and made for the stairs, “Got it. Thanks!”

If he heard anything as he took the stairs two at the time and slowed down, he’d deny it. He was determined to leave the weird stuff at the nurse’s office. Cryptic family meetings included. What the hell was wrong with Keith? 

“Knock knock.” He peeked in the door with a wide smile. The raven-haired boy whirled his head around suddenly, completely surprised to hear Lance’s loud voice. 

“Lance.”

“Hey. Sorry to uh, drop by unannounced. Your family had mixed reactions. I won’t do it again if they yell at you or something. I brought some killer noodle soup.” He grinned, moving to sit in the desk chair a bit further into the room. Not too far into his “personal bubble” or whatever he was always on about. Keith hadn’t kicked him out yet, so that was a good sign he hoped.

“Why?” His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he crossed his arms. He sounded better, voice clear and sharp again. There was a cold edge to it still, but that probably had more to do with his confusion than sickness. He was practically normal again, appearance wise. 

“Why does there have to be a why? You looked like you were dying, I wanted to check up on you, and besides, everyone deserves to try my mom’s cooking. Seriously dude, it’s the shit.” He absently pushed himself side to side in the spinning desk chair and shrugged nonchalantly. 

He still frowned but didn’t seem like he’d jump out of his skin anymore. That was a win. “That’s... nice.”

“You act like no one’s come to see you while you’re sick.”

Keith shrugged in response. “I don’t stay in one place for very long. People don’t like mysteriously sick new kids.”

Lance laughed suddenly, loudly bubbling up out of his chest contagiously. “You? Mysterious? Nah, no way. You’re a reclusive emo at best!” Keith hid a smile behind his hand, holding back any laughter that threatened to surface. Boom, another win.

“No, I’m not!” He kept his hand close to his mouth as he looked away to hide his face.

“Are too! I can see that smile, you’re not slick, buddy. I knew it was only a matter of time before my brilliant humor won you over too!” Lance boasted triumphantly.

‘Your sense of humor sucks!” Keith argued back, hands waving in the air, no longer covering the smile on his face. He looked good like that. 

“So does yours!” Lance argued back with a grin.

“No!”

“Yes! Face it, you laugh at my jokes and you hate that you do!” He leaned forward in the chair, hands gesturing wildly. One of the wheels lifted up int the air as he leaned precariously to one side. For a moment, time slowed down as they both realized what was happening. Shock washed over Lance’s face and all laughter died in his throat as the chair tipped, depositing him on the floor with a thud.

Silence filled the room for agonizing second before Keith snorted. “Oh my god! You’re going to actually sill yourself!” He laughed openly as Lance rubbed his forehead. He joined in, laughing at the ridiculous situation.

Shiro peeked in to make sure the thud wasn’t anyone getting hurt. There was no need, he quickly realized. Kids.

“Help me up, asshole!”

“No way, you did it to yourself!”

“Come on, Keiiiiith!”

“No!”

“I brought you soup!”

“…Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see, but here's chapter 3! I just started college this august, and i wasn't expecting to have so little free time. I'll get better at it though! Reminder that comments fuel content creators like me, so please leave your thoughts in the comments!! I also have an instagram and tumblr!  
> Come connect with me there :)  
> tumblr:  
> www.tumblr.com/moonpeachhh  
> instagram: @amporaaf


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